The Grounding
by Lacey52
Summary: Fourteen days of summer left with Sam grounded. Fourteen days of Danny sneaking over to keep her company. Fourteen drabbles to bridge a gap of fourteen days between AOS and AOW. Don't be alarmed, for there are fourteen pieces of fluff to see them through.
1. Lazy Afternoon Memories

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day one of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day One:  
Lazy Afternoon Memories**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

It wasn't so much that it was exciting to be sneaking into his girlfriend's house, but it was exciting to be sneaking into his girlfriend's house while she was grounded and supposedly not in contact with the outside world. He was practically whistling while he tied up his tennis shoes, simply nodding as his father requested he not stay out too late.

It was only about four in the afternoon and Danny had finally decided that he couldn't wait any longer. Heading out, he threw one quick glance back over his shoulder to his house, finding it somehow comforting, then sprinted towards the nearest alley, changing easily as he ran, then flew, towards Sam's mansion.

He didn't exactly make it in record time, but he wasn't exactly in a great deal of a hurry. It wasn't like she could go anywhere, after all.

'She'd kill me if she knew how much of a joke I think this grounding is,' he snorted to himself as Sam's window came into view, gliding up to it invisibly as he risked a quick peek. Finding nothing, Danny decided that she might be out of the room and let himself in, trying his hardest to not disturb anything in her room, 'Hope she doesn't mind that I came in uninvited.'

Glancing around, he found nothing particularly interesting. A few books laying open on the window seat he was currently hovering over, an open soda on her computer desk with a website pulled up detailing a number of ghostly happenings in Amity Park, and a rather rumpled bed that looked like someone had just gotten out of it. The radio was still playing softly and Danny wondered if she just stepped out of the room to use the restroom or find a snack.

'I guess she really hasn't had much to do today,' he let himself down onto the carpet and changed back, though he kept himself invisible just in case someone was to walk in, 'Maybe I should have come sooner?'

"I miss this."

Sam's voice had startled Danny and he was up in the air with his hands glowing slightly before he realized who had spoken. Laughing to himself about how paranoid he could be, he forced the energy back down, taking especial delight in how easily he managed to do so. He barely thought on it and it would happen now.

"Do you miss it so much that you would toss a friendly visitor from your room just to reminisce?" Danny landed on the carpet, visibly this time, and started his search for the girl. She couldn't be invisible, and that was a fact, but she didn't appear to be anywhere in the room either.

"Not that much," Sam sounded slightly less melancholy, a sigh making its way to his ears from the other side of her bed, "I was wondering if you really were going to come or not."

"I came, just like I said I would," he shuffled his feet on the carpet as he made his way around the edge of the bed, still finding nothing that resembled his girlfriend, "But, uh…where are you?"

"Here," a hand shot out and grabbed his ankle, making Danny's muscles tense and his powers react, sending him straight through the floor where he nearly ended up face to face with Sam's grandmother had he not stopped his decent and shot back upwards. Sam's questioning voice met him as he reappeared, her face peeking out from under her bed, "Danny? Where'd he go?"

"I'm here, geeze Sam, give a guy a heart attack," he popped back up through her floor, nearly nose to nose with the girl and grinning despite his nerves.

"Not like it'd do much to you," she quipped dryly, sliding back under the bed with Danny's curious blue eyes following her form, "Wondering what I'm doing?"

"Duh," Danny said as he got down on his hands and knees to peer under the bed, holding up the edge of her comforter, "The underside of your bed can not be that interesting…unless you've already gone stir crazy and have cabin fever or something like that."

"I've definitely gone stir crazy," Sam's hand shot out again to snag his shirt front, tugging lightly to get him to join here, "Come see."

Edging under the bed on his back, Danny soon joined Sam in the incredibly cramped space, enjoying his proximity with her and the light smile on her face. She jerked her chin upwards, indicating the baseboard of her bed, and Danny found himself squinting at what appeared to be faded crayon markings. He couldn't quite see what it was however, and so created a tiny ball of energy in his hand to read by, holding it closer to the marks and discovering words. Stories and memories, crudely drawn pictures, and even a few dates and poems lined the underside of Sam's bed.

"I used to crawl under here with my Grandma when I was little," Sam pointed out some of the worst handwriting on the entire board, "I think I was about five when we did this. It's the first one."

"'I rode a pony today and mama said I looked like a princess,'?" Danny shot a puzzled look at Sam, enjoying the way the green light played over her features, making everything that much more ethereal, "How the heck did your grandma get under here?"

"She used to be pretty spry and nimble actually," Sam reached up to trace a hand over a drawing of what looked to be a young girl and an older woman, the words written in a pretty blue cursive beside them stating Sam Manson and Ida Manson would be friends forever, "She wasn't always in a scooter you know."

Danny just nodded, grinning to himself as he slid out from under the bed, Sam sliding out as well before he stopped her with a short kiss, "I'll be right back. Stay here."

Sam did as she was asked, sliding back under the bed and staring up at her childhood memories. This was one of the reasons why she didn't make fun of Danny having his models, his dreams of being an astronaut, no matter how ridiculous it might seem to other people. She hadn't told him at the time, though, because this had been so terribly important to her. So personal.

Now it seemed natural to share something so intimate with this young man. And it very nearly scared her to feel this way. Sam though, as she did with all things different, embraced the feeling and made it her own. They were closer now, though she would never be able to prove it, and she cherished this moment.

"Back!"

'I'd cherish it more if I didn't just have the bejesus scared out of me!' Sam cut a glare to the grinning boy, then melted at the sight of Crayola markers held innocently in his hands, "What no crayons?"

"Couldn't find any," Danny blushed slightly, opening the package to distract himself while he continued talking, "Besides, these'll be a little more permanent this way, right?"

"Sure," Sam reached over, pulling out the black and green markers, "What are you going to draw? Or write? The only rules me and Grandma had were it had to be a memory, a date that something important happened, or a picture of something special."

"Well, I'm going to write the date of this week, and the story of your grounding," Danny chuckled to himself, pulling out a purple marker, "but I think I'm gonna' have to summarize it."

"You do that," Sam reached up and started a drawing, "I'm drawing both of you. Hope no one ever peeks under my bed or they'll eventually wizen up and figure it out."

"I doubt it," Danny laughed as he stopped his story to watch her, "But just to be safe you'll have to keep this bed forever."

"I was planning on it," Sam traced out a little block of black, with what appeared to be a 'D' etched inside of it. She smiled as she pointed to it, "How about I just use this to represent you? See? It's a 'D' with the 'P' inside of it. Danny and Phantom, one in the same."

"Perfect," Danny smiled as he reached to turn her head sideways, stretching to kiss her. It was awkward to kiss at such an angle, but, Danny decided as they spent the rest of their afternoon drawing, writing, kissing, and making so many memories, it was all worth it. He could get used to snuggling up _under_ beds instead of on top of them…


	2. A Picnic Sorta' Day

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day two of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.  
Not as cute as the first, but it'll do...

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Two:  
A Picnic Sorta' Day**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Samantha, open the door young lady," Jeremy Manson, who was normally a patient man, stood tapping his foot as he heard his daughter trudging slowly, ever so slowly, towards her door to unlock it. The door swung open moments later, showing his daughter's sleepy form swiping at her eyes, "You know the terms; you are not supposed to lock this door."

"Sorry Dad," a half grin was sent his direction as she lifted one shoulder in a shrug, "Force of habit."

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again," he returned the half smile, reaching out to ruffle her already bed-ruined hair, "Now, your mother and I wanted to let you know that we'll be leaving in a few moments, as it is nearly time for our luncheon. The staff have already been informed of your punishment, so don't even think about sneaking out."

"No problems there Dad," Sam's eyes rolled, as though she thought the entire conversation silly, "Have a good time."

"Of course," her father replied, then turned to go, shaking his head at his daughter's attitude, 'How she can be so apathetic about being grounded for two weeks straight, I shall never know.'

Sam simply shut her door and started getting ready for the day. It was unusual that she would sleep so late, or, as she caught sight of herself in her mirror, so hard. Her hair was a mess, her eyes looked puffy with dark circles under them, and she had several red lines running across the left side of her cheek where she'd had the blankets bunched beneath her.

"You know, not many girls can pull off the 'I just woke up and still look cute' look like you do Sam," Danny's voice caught her off guard and Sam whipped around to find the boy sitting on her computer chair, holding two drinks and a to go bag from Nasty Burger, "Good job."

"You smart-aleck," Sam grabbed a pillow from her bed and threw it as hard as she could, not caring about the drinks or food precariously balanced in Danny's arms. She was slightly amused when she watched him try to dodge the projectile and keep everything in order. He ended up on the floor, but everything was fine, with the small exception of his pride, "You so deserved that."

"Yeah, well you are so going to deserve when I take this," here he hefted the bags and drinks with a slightly wicked gleam to his eyes, "and leave you here to suffer what they're making you in the kitchen."

"You know what they're making?" Sam raised an eyebrow, torn between believing his threat and calling his bluff.

"Nothin' but broth," his grin widened as he saw Sam pale. Floating up into the air, Danny took a long sip from one of the straws he'd already put in the drinks, "Mm…strawberry milkshake…"

"Fine, you win," Sam folded her arms from her position on the floor, heaving a sigh as she gave in and apologized, "I'm _soooo _sorry. I'll never dare to insult the greatness that is Danny again by throwing soft things at him."

Of course, no one said she couldn't be sarcastic while doing so. Danny simply laughed, figuring that was as close to an apology as he was going to get from Sam. He did sneak in and startle her after all, and no girl really liked being caught so undone in front of a guy. Setting the bags down, he turned to hand Sam her own milkshake, soy of course, and then leaned in for a little peck.

He was surprised when Sam pushed him away with a hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she blushed and moved towards the door, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Brush teeth," Sam mumbled as she hurried out her door, turning brighter red as she continued, "Morning breath…"

Laughter followed her down the hall, and Sam was thankful that no one was in the hallway right then. She would be dead meat if anyone ever caught Danny in her room.

"Morning breath my foot," Danny murmured to himself, setting out his own burger and Sam's salad, figuring if they couldn't have a real picnic, a fake one in her room would have to do, "We're just going to eat, which makes your breath bad again any ways…"

"Maybe yours," Sam reappeared, looking a little fresher and definitely neater as her hair was combed and her pajamas had been replaced with more appropriate attire, "Sorry about before."

"What? You mean refusing to kiss me?" Danny's eyes were sparkling as he knelt on the floor and finished setting out the plastic silverware, "Hey, it just broke my heart is all. You do have a right to refuse…"

"I didn't refuse," Sam turned his chin up towards her and gently laid a kiss on his lips, "I just…delayed it a little."

"Sounds good to me," Danny's hand sunk into her hair and pulled her in for another kiss, sighing as she slipped away from him again, "Morning breath come back already?"

"No," Sam lifted an eyebrow, sat down on the floor where the mini-picnic had been set up, and reached for her food, "I'm just hungry."

"Saaaam," Danny let himself fall backwards, chuckling as another pillow landed on him, "Okay, okay, let's eat."

And thus came to pass Sam's first indoor picnic, which both teens enjoyed greatly. They laughed, ate, threw fries in a fast paced food fight, and talked. The talking was Danny's favorite part, which actually surprised him, 'I like talking to Sam, but there's just so much I haven't learned about her. I like…the other stuff too, but this is…this is different. This is _Sam_.'

"So yeah, that's why everyone thought I let the purple backed gorilla out," Sam shrugged as she twirled a fry between her fingers, "I never figured out how she actually got out…and didn't you figure out she was a she?"

"Heh, yeah," Danny leaned back against Sam's bed, licking the salt off his lips before taking another slurp of shake, "I was there that night too, you know. It was the first time I ever met Skulker. We ended up fighting in the pen, and eventually it got so bad that we busted the door…the gorilla was just trying to help me out though. She was kinda' close and leaning over me to protect me…which is how I found out…"

"Oh," Sam was surprised that the gorilla would want to protect the boy, though it did make some sense. Most animals, though suspicious, wouldn't mind a human's presence, "I suppose she was feeling those 'maternal instincts' or something."

"That's what Jazz thought," Danny laughed, reaching over to slip his hand into Sam's, "I knew you didn't do it because I saw you standing there watching the gorilla wander around. You looked like you were about to faint."

"She was out of her habitat," Sam shook her head, "She could have been killed if I didn't report it and let them think I did it. I told them I just wanted to see her up close, that the gate broke off somehow, and they let me off with a warning. Thought the gate was faulty or something."

"Well, it wasn't ghost proof that's for sure," Danny chuckled, watching Sam thread his fingers with her own, "Now-a-days, everything in Amity is at least partially ghost proof…which makes it a little easier for me. If I can't get in, then other ghosts can't either…but I have the advantage of being human too."

"Comes in handy, huh?"

"Something like that," Danny risked a glance at the clock, wincing when he found that two hours had passed, "Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you enjoy this?" he gestured, indicating their little meal and the time they'd spent together, "I mean, it wasn't too…cheesy for you was it? I know you're not exactly the type of girl who falls for just anything bu-"

"Danny," Sam cut in, trying to keep the smile off her face as she spoke, "You're right, I'm not the type of girl who wants a typical romance. But…I figure since I'm practically living in a fairy tale, with dragons and ghosts and heroic rescues, I might as well enjoy it. I think it was cheesy…but even girls like me need a little cheesiness in their lives."

"Good," Danny swooped in for a quick, unexpected kiss, crowing inside at the breathless state he left his girl in, "So you might not possibly kill me if I said that I had to leave, like, right now?"

"Ghost?"

"No, just another family thing before Jazz gets ready to leave for school again," Danny leaned in for a slower, shorter kiss, pulling Sam up with his as he stood, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Sam rolled her eyes, pushing him towards the door, "You saved me from a lunch of broth, I think you're good on the brownie points."

"Brownie points?" Danny raised an eyebrow, intent on teasing her, but thought better as he had to duck yet another flying pillow, "How many pillows do you have?"

"Too many," Sam answered as she approached, then pecked the corner of his mouth, "You'd better hurry."

"Right," he nodded, ready to slip out when another thought hit him, "You know…if you don't eat that broth now, you'll probably get it at dinner."

"Yuck," Sam stuck out her tongue, wrinkling her nose as the thought washed over her, "thanks for the thought."

"So…," Danny drifted up, letting himself slip into invisibility, "Dinner? About…eight-ish? Here?"

"Sounds good to me," Sam smiled, sitting on the window seat, "See you then Danny."

"See ya' around, Sam," and with a very cold kiss delivered right under her ear, sending two very different types of shivers skittering down her spine, the halfa set off, leaving his girlfriend smiling to herself.

This whole two week grounding thing seemed to be working for his relationship rather than against it, and he was using it to his advantage as best he could. It didn't hurt that he was enjoying getting to spend time with her; that time including only him and Sam. He could definitely get used to that.


	3. Reflection

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day three of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.  
PS-You'll need a toothbrush…this one was so sweet I nearly gagged as I re-read it.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Three:  
Reflection**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

She had thought about it of course. The first night she'd patched up his wounds he'd been sitting on her bed the way he was now, grimacing ever so slightly as she pulled a bandage too tightly against his skin or accidentally grazed a burn while cleaning around it. She'd thought about it several times since then, almost always as she was watching him fight or taking in the after effects of those violent bouts.

It hadn't even been a full year yet, but already she was well aware of the consequences that Danny faced daily from his fighting. Yes, things had calmed down a great deal ever since the mystery of the 'pull' was revealed, but in that short time ghosts still found their way into Amity, and Danny always faced them. Now though, it seemed that it was rare for him to be hurt in a fight.

'His forehead is bleeding…a lot.'

She'd never really thought about this particular fact though, and it disturbed her the most. He was a ghost, or at least currently in ghost form, and so shouldn't even _have_ blood to be spilt. Yet here it was, oozing slowly down his forehead and staining her hands an awkward brownish-green as she worked, applying as much pressure as she dared to stop the bleeding.

"Sam, it's just a cut," Danny raised his hands and tugged at her wrists, trying to move her hands, "Head wounds always bleed a lot. It just looks bad; a stray shard of glass isn't going to kill me."

"Just a cut to you," Sam pulled away finally, reaching for a bottle of water on her night stand, "Gushing river of ghost blood to me. How can you even bleed, Danny?"

A chuckle escaped his lips as he watched her dampen a piece of gauze, getting ready to clean his face as though he were a child, "I'm still alive you know. Things that are alive generally have blood…or sap, I guess if you're a plant."

"Let's not talk about plants, shall we?" Sam swiped at the cut a little more harshly than she had meant to, wiping away the leftover blood that was slowly making it's way down the halfa's face, "And I know you're alive, it's just weird to see ghost blood."

"At least it's a pretty green," the boy teased, trying to lighten the situation a little. It seemed that Sam would always be a bit overprotective when it came to his injuries, and Danny realized he wasn't really shocked by that revelation. The first night she'd cleaned him up, she'd hugged him because she felt for him. That had certainly caught his attention. No one really tried to empathize with him, and here Sam was, taking care of him because he had so few people to do it for him.

Sam's snort pulled him back to the present, his eyes landing on her hands as she fidgeting beside him, tossing the dirty cloth towards the trash and missing, "Sam, we've had this conversation before."

"What conversation?"

"The one about me being hurt," Danny stretched, reveling in the pops that raced up his spine and the face that Sam made, "I heal fast, I've been hurt worse, you don't have to take care of me, thank you anyways because you're wonderful, and don't turn into a mother hen. That about sums up a fifteen or twenty minute talk into five seconds."

"Thank you ever so much for the summary then," she managed to dead pan as she rose and stuffed away the first aide kit in her closet, silently praying that she'd never have to take it out again, though she knew she was only lying to herself, "Care to tell me what happened?"

"Let's just say that Skulker is getting better at sneak attacks," his gloved hand brushed against the cut on his forehead, a glowing green soaking into his vividly white gloves as Danny watched in fascination, "Not like I couldn't handle him though."

Sam remained quiet as she sank onto the bed again, much farther behind Danny with the movement of the bed being the only thing to alert the halfa to her presence. She was lost in her thoughts, already having felt badly at the trouble she'd caused over summer and how much effort Danny had put into protecting her. Now it seemed that the problem was ever-present and she could do very little for him. Out of all the things that Sam disliked, she hated feeling useless the most.

"It's not that bad," the voice beside her ear caught her quite off guard and Sam nearly fell off the bed's edge when a pair of strong arms dragged her backwards to lay down, "I don't get hurt all the time Sam…and don't even deny that was what you were thinking about."

"It is bad," Sam shot back, ignoring the fact that they were snuggling on her bed in the dead of night, her pajamas doing very little to hide her body from him, "I don't like you being hurt."

"That just means you're a good girlfriend," Danny planted a gentle kiss to the top of her head, breathing deeply and relaxing for the first time that day. Skulker had been stalking and ambushing him throughout the day, making it hell for the halfa to keep what was happening from his parents, "It's alright Sam."

"That's what you think. What you're saying is implying that the situation is 'right' when it's not," she rolled over in his arms, coming face to face with the boy. Sam stumbled over her next words, not expecting to be so close to him, "It's…it's not right, it's…"

"It's what I do," his glowing eyes closed slowly for a moment, giving Danny a small measure of time to collect his thoughts and try to calm his girl down, "I didn't ask for it, but I'm pretty sure people don't ask for their town or their lives to be wrecked by ghosts. I'm just here to make sure that people stay safe. Especially the people I care about."

"You know," Sam let her forehead fall against her boyfriend's, marveling at this new piece of him revealed that night, "You really are a hero, Danny. An honest to goodness, comic book hero."

"Now you're just being mean Sam," he made to move, but was stilled by the gentlest of kisses to the side of his mouth, Sam's eyes burning with her sincerity and reflecting the strange glowing of his own eyes.

"You know, there's a quote by William Shakespeare, 'Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them,'" Sam buried her face against his neck, drinking in the closeness they shared in that moment, "I never thought I'd meet someone who fit that quote in everyway."

"Not really," Danny blushed, thankful that Sam wasn't looking at him, changing back into the simple, sixteen year old boy who was holding his girl, "I just do what's right."

"That's what makes you so great," Sam sighed into his neck, pulling him closer to absorb the warmth he was now putting out, "You also make a great heater when you're not half-dead."

"I'll try to remember that," he rolled his eyes, snuggling closer to Sam as well and ignoring the fact that he was breaking curfew for a few more stolen moments of comfort. It was these moments that made him want to be exactly as Sam had dubbed him, 'A comic book hero, but only for you Sam.'


	4. I Scream, You Scream

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day four of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.  
This one's got a tiny, itsy, bitsy bit of smut too, but only because you all deserve it after such a long wait.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Four:  
I Scream, You Scream**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Her tongue darted out to delicately lap up the last droplets running down her sticky fingers, eyes closing in bliss at every last drop she greedily took into her mouth. A moan traveled to Danny's ears as he watched her mouth move sensuously against skin, pink tongue sliding out again and again, working over the same patch to make sure the flavor was gone. 

Every bit was savored completely.

Danny swore he'd never be able to watch Sam eating ice cream again without the mind blowing image that was now before him dropping into his thoughts like a five ton weight; the memory of her savoring every last, sticky river of that treat that had run down her hand; the sight of her perfectly pink tongue sliding over her fingers; the moan that was echoing in his mind and demanding his attention.

Her eyes met his and a happy smile spread across her face as she pulled out a bag of black bat-gummies she'd insisted went well with her treat and smugly popped one into her mouth, _knowing_ he'd been staring at her for the past five minutes. An offer of one was accepted with Danny leaning over and letting her feed him one, the young man gently nibbling on her fingertips and relishing in the mingled flavor of candy and girl. They were both smiling.

It was at that point that Danny made a mental note to eat ice cream in private with Sam more often.


	5. Sweet Summer Suffering

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day five of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.  
And here's the second half of the tiny, itsy, bitsy bit of smut. One for her, one for him. ;)

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Five:  
Sweet Summer Suffering**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Sam, as a small girl, had been allergic to strawberries.

It wasn't anything particularly drastic, and barely made an impression on her as a child. Instead, she knew that they were a treat to be enjoyed simply because she hadn't been able to at one time.

At one time, a rash would break out around her lips and the inside of her mouth, making the skin and her tongue itch badly. It hadn't been unbearable, but everyone in her family agreed that strawberries wouldn't be eaten around the child, who seemed to genuinely enjoy the flavor. That would have been cruel.

It had been the year she turned ten that Sam had been able to enjoy another strawberry. She'd been cautious, remembering how itchy her mouth could become, but it had been so long, and she was desperate to know if her memories matched reality. Did strawberries really taste as good as she thought they did?

The answer, had been yes, and now she enjoyed them as often as she could. She'd outgrown her allergy at some point and was forever thankful that she'd gotten up the nerve that day to eat the delectable red fruit.

She already knew that Danny's favorite milkshake flavor was strawberries, and that had only been backed up by him stealing them from her plate at the End of Year dance they attended. It wasn't until the fifth day of her grounding however, that Sam realized that Danny might enjoy his fruit the way she enjoyed her ice cream.

Her lips were stained red that afternoon, and she'd not taken a single bite of the strawberries that Danny had brought with him. She had to suffer through watching him eat each and every one. She had, however, enjoyed the flavor left on the boy's lips as much as Danny had enjoyed his black bat-gummy.

Sam decided, as she brought her fingertips to her darkened lips and watched him cheekily bow out of her room, that she could get used to suffering…especially if it involved strawberries.


	6. Interruptions

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day six of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course…though someone is gonna' be in trouble…  
I'm still alive! Yay!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Six:  
Interruptions**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Mm," Sam greeted him that evening with a kiss at the window seal, making him feel as though Romeo and Juliet was happening with them, and sending a shiver skittering up his spine from her lips and down hers from his cold. It was simple and sweet, just as most of their relationship was.

"Sorry I came later today than I thought I would," he slipped into the window fully after that, enjoying her smile as she welcomed him into her home. The feeling of acceptance never settled more heavily on him than it did in her room, one of the first places he had been welcome as both boy and ghost by a person outside of his family and, at that time, only close friend, "Mom's been all up in arms about me staying out so much the past few days."

"Bet that's been fun," Sam wandered over to her computer chair, resuming her search on the internet for a new and interesting website to assuage her boredom, "How's Tucker doing?"

"You know Tuck, same old same old," the halfa shrugged as he settled comfortably into the air behind her, sitting back into the air, "He's been hanging out a lot more at the mall though. Probably thinks he'll score a date. Higher probability in crowded areas and all that."

"Mmhm," Sam's attention was more firmly planted on the screen in front of her than the young man floating behind her, and a playful light began to spark in Danny's eyes. Sam was concentrating a little too much on that computer and not quite enough on him.

"So I was thinking…"

"Hm?"

"Maybe after we start back to school and things settle down a little bit…"

"Mm."

"We can have wild monkey s-"

"I'm better at multitasking than you think, Danny," the chair swiveled and Sam reached up and snatched the front of his shirt before the halfa had time to skitter away or remember he could literally slip through her fingers, "We're not doing that."

"Fine by me," Danny laughed, glad that he hadn't totally lost her to the world of technology as Tucker often was, "but seriously, how about we gone on another date? With fewer interruptions this time."

"That sounds nice," Sam's grip loosened as both leaned in. Sam's eyes shut first, which was fortunate because Danny caught Sam's doorknob stealthily turning. Deciding that he'd rather have his girlfriend angry at him over his girlfriend's overprotective parents, he slipped into invisibility and gave Sam's left shoulder a healthy shove, effectively swinging her chair back to facing the computer.

Her father wandered in to find Sam's stunned face staring blankly at her computer screen, her lips in a pre-kiss pucker, and a nervous ghostly chuckle echoing from somewhere. Deciding that he'd rather not know, he quietly edged back out of the room.

Screams about the stupidity of ghosts, the likelihood of ghosts actually being poltergeists, and how dead her boyfriend would be the next time she got a hold of him followed him all the way down the stairs to the living room.

Sometimes teenage girls were hard to deal with. Sometimes they acted oddly. His daughter brought a whole new level to those playing fields all by herself, but put her in one of the most haunted towns in the world…and sometimes it was easier to head downstairs for a brandy than have to deal with the world around him in Amity Park.


	7. Closure

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day seven of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

You'll have to excuse me, I'm having some technical difficulties transferring things from my old laptop to my new computer. Also, assume that Danny and Sam have already made up from last chapter. Don't worry though, she'll bring it up again!

Enjoy!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Seven:  
Closure**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

He always knew that children and those young at heart could see him clearly. To others, those too old, or who thought themselves too old, he was nothing more than an annoyance…something of a poltergeist because they could experience what he could do but not see him.

He thought this was grand fun.

The dark girl, Sam, had seen him. That wasn't that unusual. What was unusual was she hadn't been able to see him at first. It was also strange, the way he'd been pulled to her…the way so many others had been pulled to her. Now that feeling was gone. Now he just wanted to see her because he wanted to see her.

It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that she was kinda' cute. Or spunky.

Nope.

As it was, he'd yet to make it in her room. Something held him back, the same something that would run up and down his person when another strong ghost was around. It was the same thing that let him know when he should run away. Something like instinct he supposed, if a ghost could have one.

Peering in the window, the child ghost found the answer. Danny Phantom was there, though in his human form, laying across the bed with Sam, laughing at something in a paperback book spread between them. A slip of blue mist surprised both the humans, both of them pulling back a bit as it shimmered in the air between them.

Danny's eyes scanned the room. Sam's eyes slowly rose to the window and seemed, for a moment, to see nothing but air. Slow recognition dawned, and her hand slid slowly to touch Danny's side, causing the boy to whip around in the direction she was facing. His eyes finally landed on the young ghost too, going from surprise to mild annoyance in a flash. Just as he started to move forward, Sam's hand closed on the material of his shirt, a curious look about her face as she just stayed still and watched.

Youngblood, always the ham and ready to show off whenever the opportunity came, rose to the middle of the window, threw a cocky salute and then fired off two exploding paint marbles of his own design…though he did stick his arm through the window first so as not to break it.

Curses flew to his ears, even as Sam laughed, pulling a smile to his own green lips as he sped away. So he wasn't meant to be her playmate? At least she was a good sport about it…unlike some half ghosts who liked to pick on him.


	8. Almost Midnight Meetings

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day eight of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

Randomness ensues, as it often does in my mind and in the world of Danny and Sam.

Enjoy.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Eight:  
Almost Midnight Meetings  
**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So what are you doing tonight say…eleven thirty?"

"Hopefully I'll be in bed, or maybe at my computer," Sam leaned back against the window, watching her parents in the living room spread out in front of her and speaking softly lest she draw attention, "Though somehow I doubt that's what I'll be doing now that you asked."

"Sam, dear?" her mother's voice pulled Sam forward and off the window, "Would you mind running to the kitchen to see when dinner will be done?"

"Sure," Sam sighed heavily, not at all happy with leaving the windowsill she'd been sitting on. She hadn't really been leaning against the window, rather against a very invisible, and very comfortable Danny, "Be right back."

Though by the time she got back from the kitchen, and the slight interruption her grandmother caused as she rode through and declared her perfect 300 in bowling, Danny had gone. Sam was left wondering, and really, that was half the fun.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Well, you're not in bed, and you're not at the computer," Danny's head appeared through the ceiling, a frown settled on features, "So where is Sam?"

"Yes Mom," Sam's door opened a crack and the halfa could just make out Sam's figure blocking the rest of the hallway, "In the morning or tomorrow morning okay? Night."

Slipping into the room, Sam heavily made her way to her bed and fell forward onto it. Danny tried his best not to chuckle. As always he failed spectacularly.

"If any ghost is going to laugh at me, then it had better be one very sorry for laughing at me halfa."

"Well, does it count if I'm one out of two?" Danny landed gently on the bed beside her, letting his hand fall across her back and gently rub. She jerked at first, mostly from the cold and the unexpected touch, but soon relaxed. It only served to remind Danny of everything that had only happened eight or so days before, "Are you alright?"

"M'fine," Sam's muffled voice slipped from between her arms, "Just tired of my Mom."

"What's she up to now?"

"Nothing," Sam sighed as she pushed herself up, looking sideways at her boyfriend, "Glad that I'm not in bed or on the computer?"

"It's scary sometimes how you read my mind," Danny laughed again, getting off the bed and standing, "Don't tell me…you only do ghost battery and magnet gigs in the summer. The rest of the time you're a psychic."

A pillow hit his head. It had been a rather hard throw, "I was going to suggest that I sneak you out for a late night movie or snack or something."

"Maybe some other time, but I'd really rather not get caught when I'm halfway done with this stupid grounding," Sam moved to stand as well, smiling halfheartedly up at her boy, "Sorry to ruin your plans."

"Ruined? Nah, never," he smiled, "We'll just have to improvise now. How about a dance?"

"Dance?" Sam found herself pulled into Danny's arms, danced across the room to her stereo, and then dipped over so she could pick up the remote and turn it on, "And here I was thinking you were a clumsy teenage boy."

"Well, either you were wrong," Danny smiled as he pulled her back up and started to dance her across the room, quite out of rhythm with the song now playing, "or I'm lying through my teeth…um, feet right now."

"I didn't believe you when you told me you could dance, but you're doing pretty good," Sam was falling into the one, two, three step of the waltz easily now, "Didn't know you could waltz."

"It's my Mom and my sister's favorite dance. I was a helpless boy, what was I supposed to do when they were teaching me?" the waltz finally stopped and they stood swaying to the song, though it wasn't really danceable, "Beside, I figured that one day I might be able to charm some girl by teaching her how to dance the waltz. Not very many people know it anymore."

"And it was just your luck that the girl you picked already knows it and a half dozen other dances that she has to know just in case some rich suitor comes along," Sam grinned and continued, "And of course the rich suitor knows all those dances too, because his parents made sure he knows them in case he ever found a rich society girl."

"Well…I'm not exactly rich, but I'm not exactly poor either," Danny grinned, then stepped over to the radio and found a station that played local eighties favorites, "And I know at least one kind of dance that I _know_ you don't know."

"Eighties music?"

"You know it."

"You're kidding me…"

"You don't even know the half of it."

The rest of the night was spent in amused giggles, mostly on Sam's part, entertained laughter, mostly on Danny's part, and one very long, very fun dance lesson that left both of them with sides sore from laughing.


	9. Wake Up Call

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day nine of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

Long one for you!

Enjoy!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Nine:  
Wake Up Call**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

It had been a long, long, tiring, and not to mention long night last night. Not that Sam would have traded it for anything.

"GOOOOOOD Morning Amity Park!"

Sam knew, just knew, that one: she hadn't set her alarm clock last night, and two: the man on the radio was far too happy and had to be speaking in all caps with the way his voice sounded.

"We have with a very special guest to grace our Good Morning Amity Park show here on 98.7 Eighties Beat," and there was that voice with the capital letters in it again, "Why don't you go ahead and say hello to our morning listeners and we'll see what sort of reaction we get on the phone lines?"

A nervous, echoing chuckle came across and Sam was surprised that she could recognize it so well, "Um…hello morning listeners?"

"That's the spirit. Ha! Spirit!" Sam could just see Danny's deadpan face, "Aw, liven up boy! Haha, get it? Liven up?"

"Yeah, really…original," his voice sounded strained slightly, though definitely not in an angry or upset way. Knowing Danny, he was probably trying not to laugh.

"Well, listeners, if you haven't guessed it already, our Special _Guest_ this morning is none other than our favorite resident _geist_, and that's German for 'ghost' for those who don't know," another chuckle cut through the speakers, making Sam roll her eyes as she sat up to listen to the early morning broadcast, "Phantom. What a name kid, how'd you get it?"

"Um…just sort of got named that. I mean…well," he was never really good at explaining things without giving something away, and Sam listened to him try to work his way through, "You know, a friend named me that. But don't ask because I'm not going to start naming names."

"Alright, alright," the chuckle came again, "Well, it seems that our lines have become jammed so many people have tried calling in, let's take a call before we go on with our little interview session. Hello to Mike, you're on the air."

"Well good morning Jonas, and um…Mr. Phantom."

"Morning."

"Um…Phantom's fine."

"Well, I just called to ask really quick…well…a lot of us here at the store have always wanted to know…"

"How I died?"

"Well…that too. But what we all really wanted to know was _when_ did you die?"

'He can't answer either of those or someone will figure it out. I figured it out pretty quickly and that was without any extra hints like that,' Sam sighed as a paused filtered out on the radio.

"Well, I can't really answer that Mike. Um…but I'm sixteen if that helps anyone," an audible sigh could be heard over the radio and Sam gave a half hearted grin in return, "And as for the other question, well…it's not really something that I can share. Sorry 'bout that."

"Ah, it's fine," Mike's voice came crackling through again, "At least we got some sort of answer out of you."

"Alright, well, thank you to Mike from the Handy Handymen's Shop of Parts," Jonas the DJ started again, "And now it's time for us to play Q and A with Phantom here, so hang on listeners and we just might ask the question for you. First on the list, that we here at the studio came up with is: Phantom, what's the worst fight you've ever been in?"

"Wow, that's a tough one," Danny's voice echoed through the stereo again, serious and thoughtful and making Sam smile again. This was a side of Danny that Sam knew well, and that people were just hearing for the first time. The smile she wore felt as though it was a secret one, because she'd never really be able to explain why this broadcast was making her smile so much, "Honestly, I'd have to say they're all bad. All the major fights have been pretty hard…but I think the worst ones have always been when the ghosts go after people I know…_living_ people that is."

"I can see where that would be a problem," the DJ agree steadily, then plowed ahead as was his job, "How about the toughest fight, surely you can give us a more definite answer on that one?"

"Oh yeah," Danny laughed, "The toughest fight has been getting people to accept me and realize that I'm not trying to be the bad guy. I just want to protect this town and everyone in it, and sure, I mess up, but I'm only human…or, erm…I was once."

"Boy, you crack me up!" the sound of Jonas slapping the halfa's back could be heard, as well as a muffled, 'Whoa!' on Danny's part, "But seriously, is that your answer?"

"Well, yeah," the young man sounded puzzled now and Sam felt just as confused as he was, "It took me years to get to this point with the people and the city council. We just recently worked things out, and it's made my life a whole lot easier, and hopefully I've managed to make other's lives easier because of it."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there kiddo, I wasn't trying to offend you or anything," Jonas's chuckled sounded again, but seemed a little more heartfelt this time, "I was just gonna' say that you've had tons of people's support the whole time you've been around. There really wasn't so much to worry about since nearly every single person I've ever talked to has been saved by you at some point or another and…what's that?"

"That," a tired sigh sounded, "is the way I know when a ghost is around…a ghost sense, if you will."

"Ladies and gentlemen, what we're talking about is a strange bluish mist that has just popped out of Phantom's mouth and hovered in midair for a moment. This let's you know there's a ghost around?"

"Yep," shuffling was heard and a chair was scooted back across the floor, squeaking loudly as it was moved, "Oops, sorry."

"No problem, but I'm guessing that our broadcasting session is being shortened a bit, so one last question and we'll let you on your way to do your do," hands clapped together and could be heard rubbing, as though Jonas was anxious to at least get one last question out, "Now, we've had tons others lined up for you, but since you have to go, we'll skip to the most asked question. It's on every teenage girl's mind, and trust me I have a daughter and I know. Does the infamous ghost boy Phantom have a significant other?"

"Well, it'd be kissing and telling, but all ghosts are a little mischievous," a slightly wicked sounding laugh could be heard and Sam bolted upright and hurried to her radio, panicking as she went at what he was about to say.

'Oh, he'd better not,' she huffed to herself as the pause drew out over the radio, "Danny Fenton you'd better not! I get looked at enough at school already, and all I want to do is stay invisible!"

"Sssssee," he chuckled, knowing that he'd just given Sam a heart attack by drawing out the 's' and making her think he'd been about to say her name, "I've got a special someone, a very special someone, and I care about her a lot."

"Good to know it's a her," Jonas laughed, adding his two bits.

"Yeah," Danny chuckled, knowing the DJ was just trying to get a rise out of him, "Well, she's the greatest person I've ever met, here in the real world or the ghost zone, and I don't think I'm ever giving her up."

Sam, by this point, was melting.

"Well, thank you for your time, and we look forward to having you here again!"

"Anytime, Jonas. This is one of the best radio stations as far as I'm concerned. See ya' around, and from me to everyone listening out there, have a great, ghost free day!"

"And that's it folks, Phantom has left the building, and we'll be hea-" but Sam had already shut off the radio and stood smiling near her window, a small beam of sunlight finding its way through her heavy curtains and casting her hands in a soft, golden glow.

'He planned it,' she stood thinking over last night and the radio coming on this morning, 'That sneak planned it. Probably set it last night when I wasn't watching, probably's been planning it since he agreed to do the show, whenever that was... He sure has been trying to get into trouble a lot though.'

Sam started towards her bathroom to get ready for the day, laughing to herself as she went, 'First he starts to kiss me, then spins me around instead of just phasing out or warning me, then the whole keeping me up way too late last night and now the mini heart attack he just gave me…he's asking for it.'

Another chuckled sounded from the young woman as she shut the door, looking back over at her clock and noting that it was only seven thirty-eight in the morning. She only had six more days, but she figured that if there was every a way to get a wake up call this was definitely the way to do it.


	10. Puckish Boy, Earnest Girl

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day ten of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

Um…a nod to Beetlejuice in this one; if anyone can find it, five kudos points to you!

Long one for you for taking so long to get it out. It's a little odd, but I think it's because I've gotten out of my groove. A little practice and I'll be right back in it, no worries!

Oh and this one sets up the next one…it should be interesting to say the least.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Ten:  
Puckish Boy, Earnest Girl**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Mom, I'm heading out now!" Sam whipped herself down the stairs and towards her front door as quickly as she possibly could, only to find herself blocked by her father at the door, "Dad, see you later, love you, bye!"

This would be her first day out of the house in nearly two weeks, and Sam wasn't about to waste one second more standing around listening to her mother tell her for the seventh time what she needed to do. Errands were simple, especially since her parents were 'testing the boundaries of trust once again' as they put it. If she could get this all done today without any problems she'd be off the hook.

No problems, however, meant she only had three hours to do it all in and had to check in every time she finished an errand via cell phone. It also meant she couldn't stop and chat with friends or call anyone else besides her parents. Not her ideal way of spending the afternoon, but it was definitely better than nothing.

With a bounce in her step and a cocky grin plastered to her face, Sam enjoyed her brief break from house arrest. Nothing could make this a bad day right now.

"Oh my God! Ghost!"

"Run for your life!"

'Well…,' Sam hung her head and continued on at a slower pace, stolidly ignoring the happenings around her as she pushed on towards the first shop on her list, 'I thought nothing could make this day bad. Maybe Danny'll show up and keep me company. My parents never said that people couldn't tag along with me, just that I couldn't stop and chat.'

Sam was, by nature rather than appearance, an optimistic person.

With the screaming people passing her on both sides, Sam decided that this was probably the perfect opportunity to head into Madame Ophelia's, one of the last shops on her list, but presently emptied due to the sudden ghostly appearance. Once inside, the young woman found herself quite along with the exception of the workers hiding behind the counters. It probably looked quite strange to see someone so calmly browsing their selection while a ghost attacked just outside their doors.

"Mother said she wanted something in lilac as it's the color of the week...she'd probably like this one," Sam held up a pastel sweater, judging it against other things she knew her mother owned, "Yep, this will do. I can't believe she talked me into doing this..."

She was checked out and hurried out the door more quickly than she had ever been in her life, and as soon as she was out Sam called her mother to let her know how things were progressing, as was arranged, "Hello, is my mother there? Thank you."

Sam waited patiently as one of the staff found her mother, all the while keeping an eye out for the ghost that had supposedly been terrorizing downtown. Just ahead she caught sight of blue and green blasts and slowly picked her way across the empty street to see if her halfa was part of the light show.

"Samantha? What's all that noise?"

"Oh, just passing a television sell at an electronics shop and they have a monster movie playing," Sam was quick to divert her mother's attention though, as too many questions could possibly cut her day out short, "I found you a lilac sweater, pastel and knit just like you wanted. Picked it up for you and now I'm going to McGreagor's. I'll talk to you in a few minutes."

"My, however did you get in and out of Ophelia's so quickly? It's always so busy…"

"Not sure Mom, but I've gotta' run. I'll call in a little while," the phone shut with a snap before Pamela had a chance to reply to her daughter. Sam stood on the sidewalk and watched Danny and what appeared to be a giant chicken have it out. The moment she caught the ghosts' attentions, she simply smiled and waved, then continued merrily on her way, 'He'll be curious and come and visit. No doubt about it…he's way too predictable sometimes.'

Indeed, the halfa and chicken were left staring after the girl as she happily continued on her way, "Did she just stop and wave at us?"

"Bock."

"I thought so…and isn't she supposed to be grounded until school?"

"Bwooock? Bock-bock bacock!"

"Um…right. I don't speak chicken."

"Bacock!"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

McGreagor's wasn't exactly Sam's cup of tea when it came to bookstores. She was more into Skulk and Lurk. Same with Madame Ophelia's as far as clothes were concerned…the only redeeming grace being the store's name in Sam's opinion. Still, it could be rather entertaining to browse the various self-help books, so called 'intellectual' reading material, and the latest fashion guides if only to laugh at them.

After ten minutes of searching for the author her mother wanted a few books from, Sam figured she had either underestimated the chicken or Danny really wasn't as curious as she figured he would be. She also figured that she was going to need some help locating said author. The nearest employee seemed to be rather engaged by another, bustier young woman and probably wouldn't be able to help her for quite some time, and so Sam set off with a sigh for another worker to help her.

She found herself pulled right through a storage door though, and had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. No need in upsetting the general public if it was only her boyfriend…though if it wasn't, then everyone within a block was going to hear about it.

"So how is it that you're out and about without your parents chasing after you?"

'Good, it is Danny…I knew he'd follow me,' Sam laughed and backed away slightly, trying to make out his form in the darkened room, "I made a deal with my Mom the other day. I run errands for her, and get to be out, and if I am on my best behavior they end my grounding early."

"Sounds like a good deal to me," Danny reached up and flicked the light on, wincing at the sharp light that snapped across their vision, "Wanna' grab lunch with me?"

"I can't," she smiled sadly, "Technically I'm not supposed to be stopping and chatting with anyone. I don't think kidnapping counts though so I'm safe for now."

"I could kidnap you for lunch," Danny offered hopefully, "I mean, I wouldn't keep you for that long. Just thirty minutes or so?"

"I'm going to have to pass. I have two and a half hours, four more stores to visit, and I have to check in after I get every item. Not exactly how I wanted to end my summer vacation, but I figure that it's better than not being allowed out of the house."

Danny looked around for a moment, then lit up with an idea, "How about I come with you?"

"Can't hang out with friends, remember?"

"How about I come with you invisibly?"

The ridiculous smile and wiggling of his eyebrows had Sam giving in rather quickly, and Danny started to wonder if she had somehow planned all this, "Deal Danny. Now let's get out of here so I can find these stupid books."

"A-alright," Danny was jerked unceremoniously forward, Sam pulling him out of the door and into the store with barely anytime to turn invisible. There was little need however, as there was still no one around to help in their quest for the book. With a sigh, Sam set out on her own to find them, hoping it wouldn't take more than half an hour.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny, was it really necessary to scare that poor guy? He was just stocking the shelves, not being rude to me."

Sam appeared to be talking to thin air as she worked her way to the back of a gallery, several different styles of art on the walls all around her. Her mother had a particular taste, as odd as it was sometimes, and so had her searching for a painting by a 'Delia Deetz'. Sam had never heard of her before, but continued her search anyways.

"You asked where the book was, he grunted some half answer and kept putting up books. That was rude and you know it."

"It still doesn't mean you had to make the books fall on him, then make one look like it as chasing him. He took off after that and I thought I'd never find those stupid books," Sam found what she was looking for and took the number, walking back to the front where she'd pay for it and tell them to deliver it to the Manson mansion, "Thanks for helping find the books though."

"Anytime," he waved her off, though she couldn't see and watched, impatiently, as she negotiated the price and gave them her address, 'This is really boring. Maybe she'd let me cut out and grab some lunch for the both of us…'

The door jingled as it shut, pulling Danny out of his thoughts and back into the real world where he realized Sam was already outside and heading to her next destination and chatting with her mother at the same time, 'Well…she won't miss me if I'm quick…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Okay, so last stop," Sam took a deep breath and crossed her fingers, hoping that her luck would hold out. Danny had tortured the poor stock boy at McGreagor's and then started messing with the sculptures and paintings in the art gallery until she had moved further back in the place where there wasn't an audience for him to freak out. The last two stores, though, he'd been oddly quiet in, 'Or maybe he isn't there anymore. I haven't felt any cold spots lately and he hasn't been talking. Then again, these stores have all been really busy. I wonder if he took off?'

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sam stopped short of entering the store and checked to make sure the coast was clear, "Danny?"

Nothing but silence, but just to be safe, "Danny? Are you still here?"

Nothing.

'Danny Fenton you are in deep this time,' Sam huffed as she hurried in to the boutique, wanting to find the necklace her mother wanted as quickly as she could, 'I can't believe he'd just…just abandon me like that!'

Unbeknownst to Sam, Danny was, at that very moment, searching high and low for her with a to-go order from the Nasty Burger in hand, 'Where the heck did she go? Shoot, I knew I should have been listening when she named all the stores she had to go to. The last one was a jewelry store…and the only one I can think of that the Mansons might visit is on the corner of Fifth and Harper.'

Swooping down and praying that he was right, Danny pushed his head through the ceiling to silently check the store, and was relieved to see Sam standing next to a display full of crystal figurines and delicately sculpted jewelry. Sneaking down until he was next to her, he quietly whispered, "Hi," into her ear. Danny just about had as much of a heart attack as Sam did when she spazzed out at the unexpected greeting.

The small trinket she had been holding slipped through her fingers and shattered on the floor, while Sam's shoulder bumped the display case, sending all the crystal and jewelry crashing to the ground, joining the original trinket and littering the floor with sparkling crystalline dust.

A look of horror crossed Sam's face as several people gasped and rushed to pick up the bits and pieces that had survived. Her face went from deathly pale to bright red in a matter of seconds and apology after apology tumbled from her mouth. Danny floated helplessly behind her, feeling rotten for having caused so much trouble for her all day long, 'I am the world's biggest loser and jerk.'

The mess was quickly cleaned and Sam was left to explain that _something_ had startled her. The most fortunate part of the whole mess was the store had installed a ghost detector as it had previous problems with ghosts wrecking its displays. Sam's story of a ghostly visit was confirmed and she was let off the hook.

Danny was thankful for once of all the new equipment that the city council was helping people obtain for their homes and businesses. It may give him more problems later on, but right now it probably was saving his hide from his irate girlfriend.

"I'll help pay for it, I feel so bad…"

"No Ms. Manson, it's quite alright. I have insurance, and in any case this is not your fault," the store owner gently patted her back, "Now I believe you said something about a necklace your mother wants?"

The transaction was made quickly and Sam was out of the store as quickly as was possible. She walked in silence for quite some time, before deciding that Danny was probably still there, and feeling miserable, "Danny?"

"Yeah," a voice to her left responded, "I didn't run off…"

"You did earlier," Sam lowered her head and kept walking, ready to be home more than anything else. The sidewalk passed through a relatively empty area and Danny appeared by her side holding up a Nasty Burger bag.

"Got some lunch," he answered with a sigh, "You want it."

"No thanks," Sam shrugged, feeling unduly irritated that he had left her to get food when she had told him not to worry about it earlier, "Sorry you wasted your money on it."

"It's fine," the halfa glumly threw the sack into the next trash can they passed and shoved his hands as deeply into his pockets as he could, "Get everything done?"

"Yep."

"Not talking to me now?"

"No, it's not that," Sam turned her head for a quick glance at the boy, dark eyes meeting his blue ones, "Did you have to scare me like that?"

"How do you want me to scare you?"

"Danny…"

Obviously his try for a joke hadn't really worked out, and so he backpedaled as quickly as he could, "I was just kidding! I'm sorry I scared you, though. I thought you would just know…"

"I know," Sam wasn't sure how to explain what had happened to Danny without him worrying over it. He had a bad habit of over analyzing things at times, and not thinking this through enough at other times, "I was just startled. It's like when you don't think anyone's home and then you walk into them around a corner. You get scared, even though you know the person."

"I guess," Danny shrugged, then turned a bit while he was walking, "I'm pretty selfish sometimes Sam. I know what you just went through, but I keep pushing you with ghost stuff, and I know that's gotta' be weird for you."

"A little," she finally smiled, and they both felt a little lighter, "but I figure that it's helping me…adjust. Or re-adjust or whatever."

"So am I in trouble?"

"Probably," Sam laughed, and swung the five bags hanging from her wrists, "but I'm sure you'll figure a way to get out of it."

"Samantha Manson!" both teens froze in their place on the sidewalk as a car reversed and Sam found herself face to face with her parents, both of whom looked a little shocked, "You were supposed to call after you picked up the last thing and were heading home! Not go off walking with boys!"

"We trusted you young lady," her father's calm voice had more of an impact on Sam than her mother's, and Danny was well aware of this as her face fell, "I am very disappointed."

"Um, it's my fault Mr. Manson, sir," Danny cleared his throat nervously as both of Sam's parents shifted their attention to him, "I saw Sam walking down the street and caught up with her and have been keeping her company on the way home. She told me she wasn't supposed to talk with anyone, but I kept bugging her until she did. I guess I distracted her a little too much and she forgot to call. I'm sorry."

"That's really no excuse," Pam Manson frowned heavily, "You should have called young lady. I was waiting for your call to tell you we were heading to the theater this evening and to see if you wanted to go."

"But Mom!" Sam held up her bags, showing her that she had gotten everything as she had asked, "I did get everything."

"It wasn't a test to see if you'd get everything in three hours honey," Pam shook her head, "It was to see if you would do as we asked and call and not hang around with your friends. You missed the point."

"Fine," Sam gritted her teeth and stomped off, "I'm going home. Have a nice time and don't bother me when you come in!"

"Um…I'm just gonna' leave now," Danny took off after Sam as the Mansons stared after their daughter's retreating form. The car left a few moments later, just as Danny caught up with his girl, "Sam?"

"I can't believe this!"

She was angry with her parents, angry with Danny, angry with the world…but mostly, she was just angry with herself and for ever thinking of trying to trick Danny into accompanying her. A pretty flush settled over her cheeks as she caught sight of her home in the distance. Danny trailed behind her slightly, feeling terrible that his mere presence had gotten Sam in trouble, 'Everyone always gets in trouble or into my messes when I'm around.'

"Can you believe it?" Sam whirled on him and was nearly knocked to the ground as Danny ran into her, "I can't believe they would say that. It wasn't like we were making out in the middle of downtown or anything…we were just walking for goodness' sake!"

"Um, I'm sorry I got you in trouble," Danny caught her flailing arms and pulled a couple of bags from her hands, "I really didn't mean to, you know."

"I know," Sam sent him a tired smile and then glanced down at the bags in his hand, "Thanks Danny. You really are a gentleman…"

"I do try," he started walking again, this time beside her, "Especially when such a pretty girl is having such a bad day."

"Flattery isn't going to help you on this one, bud," Sam pointed out, though she felt considerably lighter than a moment before, "You're still in trouble. I was _this close_ to being let out of being grounded."

"Hey, like that's not punishment for me too," Danny grinned roguishly, "I mean, having to sneak into my girl's house, late at night, no adult supervision…"

"Danny," Sam warned with a bit of a smile.

"I mean, _really_," a hand was dramatically raised to his forehead, even as the packages bumped into his face and shoulder, "It's such a hassle to be alone with her!"

"You're so getting it now mister!" Sam reached for him, only for the halfa to twist out of the way and take off at a run, "Get back here! You're in trouble!"

"Only if you can catch me Sam," Danny laughed as she nearly did just that and raced towards her house, happy that he had at least gotten her mind off her parents, "Catch me if you can!"

"Is that a dare?"

"It's more of a hope actually," the halfa laughed as he made it to her house finally, the girl soon joining in.

'Okay, so it sucks that I'm still grounded,' Sam took the packages from him and sent him on his way with a breathless smile and quick kiss to his nose, much to his disappointment that it wasn't something more, 'but at least I have him around to keep me company. I'd go crazy otherwise, even if he is a mischievous little imp sometimes.'

With that last thought on her mind, Sam headed up to her room, disappointment mixed with the elation of having gotten to be out and spend her afternoon with Danny. It was definitely hard to be grounded during the last few days of summer vacation, but Sam wasn't just any ordinary teenager.

'I can do this,' she stoically told herself, marking off yet another day on her calendar, "I can definitely do this."


	11. Understand

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day eleven of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

Not sure if this is what you guys were expecting, but here it is anyways.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Eleven:  
Understand**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"And another thing," Sam's mother was in a fine state that morning. The play they had went to without Sam the night before had to close early as several of the cast members had suddenly become sick due to bad shrimp at the tiny, impromptu party before their opening. The old adage 'The show must go on!' apparently didn't apply when half the people in the show had food poisoning, "I expect you to know better than to go walking around downtown when there is a ghost attack! I know you wanted to do those errands for me just to get out of being grounded, but at the risk of getting hurt Samantha? Is it really so bad to be around your parents?"

"No Mom," Sam turned away slightly, realizing that her plan to keep the ghost attack she had walked past covered up was ruined by the morning report on the previous day's ghost attacks, "I was already there…I just didn't want to worry you. Phantom was there fighting the giant chicken, so I just kept waking and went to the next store. I really wasn't anywhere near being in danger."

"How could you know the fight wouldn't get out of hand? Or that the ghosts wouldn't see you and accidentally run over you while fighting, or that some stray ghost blast would-"

"Mom," Sam cut in suddenly, finally sitting up a little more from her hunched over position and taking pity on her mother, "It was fine. I'm not hurt so stop worrying so much. I know I should have immediately evacuated the area just like everyone else, but I really didn't see the point when everyone knows that Phantom can fight a ghost and keep people around him from getting hurt. The whole town's been saved by him before…I really don't think that keeping one teenage girl safe would be that difficult for him."

'At least, not against a chicken ghost,' Sam thought amusedly to herself while her mother took a moment to digest what Sam was saying. The look that passed over Pam's face told her daughter that she didn't quite agree with her.

"Next time, please just think it through a little more before you do something like that again," she shook her head and stood to leave the room, "Maybe it was a good thing that the Fenton's boy was walking you home. At least he seems to have sense enough to stay away from ghosts and apologize when he's made a mistake."

"That's so," Sam cut herself off, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say, "I said that I was sorry. Several times."

"Samantha, when will you ever understand what it is to be a young woman?" Pamela eyed her daughter at the door, a worried look hovering around her eyes, "You can say 'I'm sorry' as much as you like, but until you mean it, it truly has no value. I could see in your eyes that you didn't regret your actions yesterday one bit, rather you were sorry that you were caught!"

And with that Sam's door was shut harshly as her mother hurried away, taking deep breathes as she walked to help calm her nerves. She loved her daughter, truly, more than anything in the world even if she wasn't always the most adept parent or able to show it in a way that Sam needed. All she wanted was for her daughter to be happy and stay safe, but their ideas on those two topics never seemed to match.

"Umrhn," Sam inarticulately fell backwards onto her bed, a pillow hugged to her stomach for a small amount of comfort. She understood that her mother was worried, but why could the woman not understand that Sam was an independent, strong, intelligent young woman who could take care of herself?

'It's like I'm still a five year old,' she huffed to herself before turning over and standing up, ready to at least try to face the day, 'And really this wouldn't have been as bad if I hadn't invited Danny along! No…it wouldn't of been so bad if that boy could have just resisted pulling pranks and messing with things all day.'

"Hey Sam," came a tap and call at her window, "Mind if I come in for a minute?"

'Speak of the devil,' Sam frowned to herself, 'I thought I was okay with it yesterday…but now I'm upset all over again. Could he have chosen a more inconvenient time to visit? Well, okay, _probably_, but that's besides the point right now.'

"Um…Sam?" the boy hovered outside her window, looking around nervously, "Can I come in or should I go invisible while I float here and wait for you to say yes or no?"

"I don't care," Sam shrugged and turned her back, pulling her crumpled sheets up further on her bed to get it to resemble something closer to being made than it was in its current state, "Make yourself at home."

"Okay…," Danny eased himself in and stood by the window, 'That sounded a little sarcastic. Is she upset or something? Great…what did I do…'

"So how's the morning been so far?"

"Fine."

"Sleep well?"

"Yes."

"Have a good evening last night."

"Sorta'."

"Gonna' answer me in a real sentence anytime soon?"

Sam spun on her heels at the tone in Danny's voice, her eyes flashing her defiance, "What do you mean by that, Danny? You don't have anything to be upset about, so why sound so peeved?"

"I just meant that I don't like being given the cold shoulder when I haven't done anything," he took a couple of steps towards Sam with a frown on his face and one hand running through his hair in frustration, "Forgive me if I sound a little miffed about you just blowing me off."

"You blew me off yesterday to go and get lunch," Sam shot back with folded arms, "I don't think you have the right to be upset with me about that when you did it first."

"Okay, so I should have told you when I left, but I was just trying to do something nice for you," Danny took a deep breath, already knowing how nasty a fight with an emotional girl could turn at any second. He hadn't lived with his Mom and sister for sixteen years and not come to that realization, "I'm sorry Sam, I really wasn't thinking yesterday. You surprised me when you told me to tag along and I was kinda' being a jerk pulling all those pranks."

"It's not that Danny," the girl shook her head and sank to sit on her newly made bed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset with you. I just had a bad morning is all. Sorry for taking it out on you."

"It's cool," Danny joined her and slipped his arm around her shoulder, "I mean, if you can't take it out on me, then who can you take it out on, right?"

"I shouldn't get upset with you though," Sam shook her head again, a small frown apparent, "My Mom was right."

"About what?" Danny asked in surprise.

"I really do need to figure out what it means to be a young woman instead of just acting like I always have," she flashed him a smile and stood up, pulling the surprised boy up with her, "I'm sorry, really sorry, for making you feel bad Danny. You didn't do anything wrong, though I really wish you would have told me when you left and when you got back instead of just surprising me that way."

"Deal," the halfa smiled down at her, then gently kissed her forehead, "Guess we should work on communication, huh?"

"Never hurts," Sam smiled again and then instigated a short kiss, "Now get out so I can clean up and change. I'll be done in thirty minutes, okay?"

"Alright, but I'm holding you to that," Danny smirked, "Done in thirty minutes or not, I'm gonna' be here waiting."

"Good," Sam shooed him out the window, silently thanking heaven that they'd avoided getting into a fight that day, 'Good.'

Sam hit the showers with a lot on her mind, and a bit more remorse for yesterday. She'd have to find her Mom and talk to her again. It was going to be a bit of a blow to her pride, but Sam could handle that. She was wrong after all, and far be it from her to not admit to her faults when called out on them.

'Four more days and one talk with Mom to go and that's the end of summer,' Sam mused to herself as the hot water poured over her, 'Everything's passing by so quickly…I used to think it was all moving too slowly but now…now maybe I'm growing up a little more. I can just hear Mom now…'

"Oh Samantha! I _knew_ you'd understand. My baby girl is growing up!"

And so it was after two hours of personal time with Danny and an extra thirty minutes to gear herself up for it. Exactly as Sam had imagined, with one more sentence tacked on:

"Now why don't we get a wardrobe more fitting of your new mature state of being? Hm? Won't it be fun sweetie?"

"No Mom, no new clothes."

"But Samantha!"

"No…"

"But!"

"No!"


	12. Never

The Grounding

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Enjoy. Day twelve of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

If you want to know who said what in this one, I'll tell you, but it might be more fun to guess!

PS-Sorry I was gone for so long! Life hit me. Hard.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Twelve:  
Never**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"I've never...smoked."

"That's good."

"Oh shut up...and pass me the M&M's."

"Are you serious?"

"It was just one puff, and then I got so sick I swore I'd never touch 'em again."

She wasn't really sure how this game had started, but at first Sam thought she wouldn't like playing. The childhood game of 'I Never', which was really an adult game of 'I Never' minus the alcohol, had never really been a favorite. Now as she sat across from Danny and Tucker, the only two boys in her life, she was beginning to rethink her position.

"I've never taken a bubble bath."

"M&M please."

"Me too."

Laughter broke out at that statement, making the other two wonder under what circumstances the young man had found himself taking a bubble bath.

"I've never licked anything metal during the winter."

Silence rained supreme after that comment and left all the occupants of the room feeling a little cheated.

"Um…I've never danced on a table."

"I need an M&M."

"Me too."

Another ripple of laughter broke out, mostly bubbling up from Sam as she soaked up the company of her boy friend and her boy-who-happened-to-be-her-friend friend.

"I've never gone on a date."

"M&M?"

"Yes please, and one for you too I think?"

"Of course."

"Oh shut up you two."

Oh yes, she was definitely enjoying her evening. Being stuck in her room wasn't bad with friends like she had and made her long for school to begin all the more so that she could make more memories just like this.

"I've never…"


	13. Minor Irritation

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day thirteen of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW. Pure fluff and DannyxSam of course.

Heh…no more finals, no more finals, I am done for a while, woohoo, joy!

Maybe the next chapter will be out tomorrow…it is the last one after all…;D

Love you all and thank you so much for your patience and support. This is my second to last semester at college, so it is pretty important to me. Things just get busy and I have to be realistic about what I spend my time on. I'm just sorry that writing this for you had to be moved so far down the list!

Oh well, you've got me back for a while!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Thirteen:  
Minor Irritation**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Sweltering heat did not usually settle over the city of Amity Park, even in the late stages of summer, making the heat wave of ninety-two degrees nearly unbearable for any person unlucky enough to find them self outside. The worst part about it being ninety-two degrees was the one small fact that it was only ten in the morning, which meant that it was only going to get warmer as the day progressed.

As this news registered in Sam's mind, she bit back a rather unladylike growl of frustration to lean back on her heels, wiping sweat from her brow and smearing soil in its place in the process. The radio continued on, claiming that residual spectral energy readings from the day before were nearly at an all time low, though today's forecast called for light to moderate saturation.

Another groan almost escaped Sam's lips before the scent of earth wafted to her again, calming her easily as though it was a part of her.

'For all I knew, it _was_ a part of me,' a delicate sigh slipped finally as the young woman sat pondering the earth beneath her nails and staining her hands a muddy brown, 'Even if only for a little while.'

This was the best part of the day, for Sam at least. The small amount of time that she could spend working around the yard, or in her greenhouse, with the plants that she raised and cared for. They weren't exactly animate in the way that animals and humans were, but she had always felt a certain connection with them. Now thinking such thoughts brought a wry grin to her lips, her dark eyes focusing on something beyond what she was seeing.

'It was pretty anticlimactic,' she chuckled quietly to herself before becoming aware of a shadow standing beside her on the lawn, startling her slightly that she hadn't noticed someone walk up. She turned to shoot a smile at whoever was behind her, more than likely her mother or father, but was truly surprised to find Danny grinning down at her, Tucker a few feet behind with his hands in his pockets whistling an unfamiliar, off key tune, "Hey, what're you guys doing here?"

"Oh, nice to see you too Sam, yes I'm doing well, glad that I got to see you today too!" Tucker winked as he spoke, teasing her for the suspicion in her voice at seeing them at her home, "Really now Sam, can't two friends stop to see how their other friend is doing while fire is scorching the earth and melting everything that isn't in AC, drinking cold soda?"

"Oh please," Danny rolled his eyes as he offered his hand to help Sam stand, "He tagged along voluntarily."

"Dirty hands, I'll get up on my own thanks," Sam winced as she stood, noting the amusement in Danny's eyes, "What I meant earlier was, what are you two doing here because I'm not supposed to have visitors, remember?"

"Oh we know, we know," Tucker glanced around at the various tools laying about Sam where she had been planting a flowerbed at the front right corner of her home, "We were just in the neighborhood though and decided to do a walk by. Lucky for us, you were already out here."

"Lucky," Sam nodded knowingly as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Right. More like you were going to go up to my room but just so happened to spy me out here and got curious.'

"Eh, something like that," Danny pulled his right hand up to the back of his neck and gave Sam the most charming grin he could muster, "but really we were just-"

"Sammy-kins! I've brought you a bit of…oh, hello boys," Mrs. Manson appeared on the porch with a glass of lemonade in her hand, a sunhat tied smartly under her chin with a pink ribbon and sunglasses five times too large for her eyes on her face. The brightly colored sundress made Sam wince, causing her two boys to bit their lips to resist laughing, "I'm sorry, but Sam is not allowed to have visitors right now."

"Oh, we know Mrs. Manson," Danny nodded politely, "We were just stopping by to remind Sam to meet us at school early on Monday. We have to pick up our class schedules in the cafeteria before seven thirty."

"Well, thank you for stopping by Daniel, and um…I'm so sorry, but what was your name again dear?"

"Tucker Foley ma'am," Tucker doffed his hat, shooting what he considered his most winning smile at the woman, "One of the lucky fellows whose gotten to befriend the wonderful girl covered in dirt before us."

"Tuck," Sam heaved a sigh, "You might not be helping my case here."

"Charmed I'm sure," Pam nodded coolly to the youth before her who was obviously trying to win her over. Sadly enough, she had to recognize that he was doing a good job and silently decided that where social standings were concerned she was becoming a bit soft in her old age. Not that she would ever admit to it. Or the fact that she was…older than she was at one point in her life, "Well, you've both made your appearance, and it is truly far past the time that Sam should have come in and left the rest of this to the ground's keeper. I was just bringing her a bit of lemonade to coax her back in…but I think I have enough if you would care for a glass?"

"Oh, no ma'am, we wouldn't want to…_intrude_," Danny cut Sam a rather impish smirk, "We were heading to the mall today anyways. Last minute school shopping and all."

"Well, then have a fine afternoon," Pam gently began to lead her daughter away from the two young men.

"Bye Sam!"

"See ya' later Sam!"

"Bye guys!" Sam tossed a harried wave and smile over her shoulder as she let her mother lead her up the porch and into the cool of her well air-conditioned house. Twin chuckles of amusement followed her inside, making her already fine morning even brighter.

Nothing could quite cheer up a person like an unexpected, friendly visit.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'And here I was just this afternoon thinking of how much I like unexpected visits.'

Sam thought herself rather calm in the odd situation she found herself in, wedged between her closet door and Danny Phantom, with her father looking on with wide eyes somewhere vaguely close to her right side, "I was trying to change!"

"Well, so sorry if there happened to be a ghost that threw me into your room!" the halfa shot back with slight irritation, though it was only slight because Sam was currently in short shorts and a sports bra, "Not like I was trying to get a free show or anything…"

"I was talking to both of you!" Sam was beyond irritated and shot the three male occupants of her room a scathing glare, "Er, all three of you now!"

It had all started with a wonderful shower after her morning foray into gardening, followed by a few moments of playing with her hair in the slightly fogged glass of her mirror. She had then proceeded directly to her chest of drawers, and subsequently her closet as per her habit, to change. Sam had been thankfully covered in all necessary areas when all hell broke loose around her.

"Sam, I was just wondering when…"

That had been her father barging in unannounced.

"Geeze! That hurt you overgrown puppy…"

And that had been Danny as he had sailed through her window, thankfully not damaging anything as he had thoughtfully made himself intangible.

"I was trying to change!"

And that had been her and this was where all four of them found themselves. What a perplexing thing indeed.

'At least the not so little green dog is just a dog and not a person like my father and boyfriend, incognito, are,' Sam helplessly scrambled for a shirt and settled on pulling a hoodie over her head as it was the first thing she could grab, "What are you doing?"

"I was just coming to ask when you were going to be downstairs!"

"I was just playing with Cujo here and he knocked me through your window!"

Two of the three males sent each other awkward glances, totally uncomfortable with the entire situation, while the third stood drooling all over her carpet…and bed. Sam could feel the headache begging to take over her brain and bravely suppressed the urge to strangle them all.

"D-Phantom, could you please take…Cujo and leave?" Sam was not up for this. She had decided she was ready for anything after the events of this summer, but surely this situation was pushing things, "And Dad, could you knock next time to make sure I'm decent at least?"

"That's…he's," her father was eloquently pointing out the spectral beings in her room, with one trembling finger, and something in Sam dejectedly gave up any notion of having a normal afternoon, "Ghost?"

"Yes, a ghost," she rolled her eyes as Danny tried to get Cujo to turn back into the tiny puppy that everyone involved preferred, nearly laughing at the baby talk and high pitched voice he was using to do so, "Dad, meet the infamous Danny Phantom and his overgrown mutt, Cujo. Phantom, meet my Dad."

"Hey, s'up?" he nodded with a small nervous grin, then pounced on Cujo and rolled him onto his back, rubbing the enormous dog's belly for all he was worth, "Who's a good boy? You're a good boy, yes you are! Yes you are a good puppy-wuppy!"

A contented growl slipped from the dog's throat as he shrank, and Danny, Sam, and Jeremy Manson all sighed in relief. The odd party stood for quite some time as Danny held the happily wiggling pup in his arms, none of them talking as all tried to work out something to say, or rather, do.

"Well…I'm just going to get going," Danny shuffled towards the wall next to him, dog securely tucked under his arm, "Sorry to erm, _intrude_."

"Ghost or not," Jeremy was in full father mode at the tone the ghost used and the smirk sent towards his daughter, "No young man is ever to talk to my little Sam like that!"

"Yes sir!" Danny smartly saluted, then turned on his heel and fled with a bright blush on his pale cheeks, "Later!"

"And as for you young lady!" he turned to scold his daughter for being so overly familiar with such a dangerous ghost, only to find her glaring at him. An image of his wife instantly popped into his head as his little girl began to tap her foot and place her hands on her waist just as Pamela did, "As for you…I'll let you get changed…and knock next time. Sorry for barging in."

"It's alright Dad," Sam sighed as she looked forlornly at her spit-covered room, "I'll be down just as soon as I clean this up."

"Need any help pumpkin?"

Something lit in Sam's heart at the offer and she instantly nodded, thankful that at least one of her parents might be willing to spend time with her, even in such a messy way.

"Alright, I'll send the maids up to do this for you," he nodded and scooted out the door, "See you in a while."

"Right," she watched him go and ruthlessly squelched that little spark of hope, "Of course."

Sam's thoughtless wish for a 'normal' day had just come true. Just like normal, her parents would leave her alone and pester her, but at all the wrong times and in all the wrong ways. A frown tugged at Sam's lips as she realized that she'd be questioned about knowing Phantom at some point.

It was probably better anyways if she stayed up here to help the maids for as long as she could put it off for.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

An hour later found Danny nervously pushing his head through the windowpanes of Sam's room, glancing around to ensure that no one, besides the girl he wanted to see, was there. Cujo had been a handful for about thirty minutes after the debacle in her room, and he'd made sure that the dog was well entertained deep in the ghost zone before daring to leave.

"Hey," he let himself slide back into visibility, reaching out to gently run his gloved hand over Sam's arm, "Sorry about the mess and for running off."

"No problem," Sam glanced around her room, "I got most of it cleaned up and the maids are doing all my laundry and airing some of my things out right now. Lucky I have paid help, huh?"

"No kidding," the young man chuckled, before pushing her hair back behind her ear, "I can't stay for long, I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything's cool, what with your Dad and all…"

"It'll be fine," Sam waved him off, looking up with a shy smile on her face, "Thanks for checking though."

"Anytime," Danny tilted her head up, ready to part with a kiss, when they both heard the door opening and he shifted quickly out of view, leaving Sam kissing thin air while her mother started talking about airing her entire room out if a ghost dog had been in it.

"And really, a bit of fresh air isn't going to do anything to you other than put some color in your cheeks," Pam gently fussed, wrinkling her nose at the dog smell still lingering in her daughter's room, "Just open the window for a bit alright dear?"

"Alright Mom," Sam rolled her eyes, watching as her mother waltzed out of her room as quickly as she had into it.

"She gone?" Danny popped back up, hand back on her cheek as he leaned in for another try.

"And another thing," the door swung open, and Danny wondered how much trouble he'd be in if he didn't go invisible again, "When you open your windows, why not take down your curtains as well? They may have…drool on them."

"Alright Mom," Sam supplied again, eager to get her out of the room so she could finally get her goodbye kiss, "I'll do it right now…don't forget to close the door though, or the smell might leak into the rest of the house."

"Of course," Pam's nose wrinkled even farther and the door clicked close behind her.

"Maybe this time?" Danny appeared, but before he could get another word in, or a kiss in for that matter, Sam's door swung open a third time and he heaved a groan before he could help himself. Pam, for her part, glanced oddly at the door and made a mental note to have all the door hinges oiled.

"Also, before I forget again, about school on Monday," Mrs. Manson started hesitantly, tipping off both the known and the unknown occupants of the room that she was about to go into a clothes talk to persuade Sam to try something a little more 'hip'.

Running his fingers softly across her arm, Danny settled for giving her an icy kiss on the cheek goodbye before heading off, leaving Sam shivering behind him while her mother talked on absently.

Sam could only nod and wonder just what she had gotten herself into by dating a human-ghost hybrid, 'Honestly, how clueless _and_ annoying can my parents get?'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Okay, surely it's not as hard to get a goodnight kiss as it is to save the world,' the halfa floated right inside Sam's window as she finished taking her beddings from the maid at her door, ready to make up her bed and go to sleep for the night, "Need some help?"

"Only if you're good at making beds," Sam's voice came from behind the pile of sheets and bedspread in her arm, the top of her head barely visible above it all, "Thanks for the offer by the way."

"Have I ever told you," Danny took the pile from her and changed as he landed, setting the pile on the edge of her bed just as the rings disappeared, "You thank me more than any person I've ever met."

"No," Sam tilted her head cutely to the side as she looked down and to the left, thinking over what he had just told her, "But you deserve to hear it more often you know."

"Thanks," the boy chuckled as he picked up a sheet and gave it a snap up into the air, letting it fall over her bed before releasing the corners he held and moving to help Sam slip the bunched edges over her mattress. They worked in a comfortable silence, both thinking over the slight oddity of making up the bed together.

"So…," the halfa drew out the word once they finally sat on the edge of her freshly made bed, looking all around the room that still smelled just the tiniest bit like ghost dog, "Interesting day you've been having?"

"You could say that," and she leaned her head against his shoulder, the feeling of contentment washing over her when his arm snuck around her waist.

"Think I can manage to give you a goodnight kiss now?" Danny chuckled nervously, enjoying the blush that spread across both their cheeks as he bluntly brought up the subject they'd both been thinking of.

"Probably not," Sam sighed, and true to her prediction they both heard a sharp rap at her door. Sam raised her eyebrow. Danny just shook his head knowingly as he slid, once again, into a state of being transparent.

"Come in Dad," Sam drew in a deep breath, knowing that she was already in hot water with him for not coming downstairs as she had promised. A sheepish grin on her father's face met her eyes first; relaxing her slightly as she realized that he had done as asked and knocked. It was a pleasant surprise.

"Sorry I didn't come down earlier," Sam started to explain, scooting over the tiniest bit so her father could join her, forcing Danny to move as well, "I just got caught up in cleaning my room and trying to get rid of the smell."

"Well," Jeremy looked around, taking a delicate whiff and trying not to make a face, "You did…fairly."

"It's alright Dad," Sam shot him a rather wry grin, "You can say it. It still stinks."

They laughed together, and Danny got to see another piece of Sam in her parents. She laughed just like her father, and apparently, she was silent just like her father, as both of them looked down and sat a little straighter before they began whatever talk they were about to have.

"Samantha…Sam," Jeremy turned concerned eyes towards her, capturing her gaze before she could steal away as she often did, "Earlier…with the ghost. You knew him."

'Not a question,' Sam mused to herself, 'A statement. I guess he isn't half as clueless as I think sometimes."

"You knew him and that worries me a little pumpkin," he shifted uncomfortably, "I don't want my only child knowing ghosts so well. I know that you've made friends this year, and I was uncomfortable at first with them just being boys, but I think I might prefer boys over…um…entities."

'How to explain,' Sam blew out a breath to knock her annoying stray hair from her eyes, feeling an invisible boy beside her chuckle silently at the action, "I know Phantom because he's saved me a few times, and apparently I'm the only person that hasn't either run away screaming from him or immediately started obsessing over him. We sorta'…became acquaintances and we talk whenever we run into each other."

At her father's dubious look, Sam rushed to explain further, "Which isn't often! This is the first time I've seen him in what feels like forever, so you don't have to worry."

Even though it was a bit of a white lie, Sam felt confident enough in the balance she was keeping between telling her father the truth and protecting Danny. She _had_ seen him, but it certainly _did_ feel like forever at times.

"I'm just not sure I like the thought of my baby girl making friends with the ghost that used to be public enemy number one. He's even the one that is adamant about all ghosts being dangerous and very few being friendly towards humans whenever he talks with the city council," he wearily ran a hand over his brow and down his nose, and Sam couldn't help but think how Danny did the exact opposite when he was frustrated, "I just want you to be safe."

"I promise you Dad," Sam took his hand, something she hadn't done in nearly three years, and held it gently in her own, "I'm safe. Nothing's going to irreparably damage me other Mom's many attempts to put me in pinks and pastels."

He nodded and stood, seeing himself to the door as a strange look flickered across his face, Sam watching all the while in mild confusion, "I just…I just want what's best for you Sam. I used to tell you that all the time, you know. Anything my Pumpkin wants."

A smile passed between them and then he was gone, Danny melting back into view as soon as the door clicked shut. A steady hand on Sam's shoulder pulled her attention back to the present and out of the bittersweet memories of her childhood. No words were spoken, but it was enough to be present and let comfort come that way. Leaning in for a goodnight kiss, one last time, Danny decided that it was time to go. When Sam was ready to talk, she would.

Their lips brushed against one another in a whispering imitation before they both jerked apart, Danny's cell phone startling them both into a fit of giggles at being interrupted yet again.

Looking down at the screen found Danny's home number and he shrugged, pocketing the phone once again before going for broke and planting the sloppiest kiss he'd ever given right on Sam's surprised mouth and then running for his life.

Second to last day of her grounding, third to last summer vacation of her high school career, and a lifetime of firsts to look forward to, Sam fussily, albeit happily, rubbed her lips dry. Surprise visits, bad timing, annoying parents, dog drool, and weird boyfriends aside…life was going pretty darn well.


	14. Endings Are Just Beginnings

_**The Grounding**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note: _Enjoy. Day fourteen of the fourteen days of Sam's grounding between AOS and AOW.

And it is…dun dun dun…the end of this mini-arc.

Ah-mazing!

A bit lighthearted, and a bit of foreshadowing, to prepare us for everything that is to come. I hope you all enjoyed this short story of the last two weeks of Sam's summer and that you will keep an eye out for the start of the next Arc in The Art Of series:  
The Art of War

Love to you all and thank you for all the support, kind words, and wonderful reviews that you've send my way!  
Lots of love.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Day Fourteen:  
Endings Are Just Beginnings**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"And so, I hit him over the head so hard, he dropped the little ring over the edge of the Eiffel Tower," Ida Manson chuckled, taking in the slack jaw stare of her granddaughter.

"Grandma, I don't believe you," Sam shook her head slowly, a tiny smile creeping over her lips, "You used to tell me all the time that he took you out in a row boat on a lake and when he was proposing a fish popped up and ate the ring right out of his fingers."

"Well, that happened too," the wizened woman nodded wisely, "That was the second time he tried to propose. The first was the Eiffel Tower, the third was on an airplane, the fourth was-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sam held up her hands and shut her eyes as she tried to mentally calculate just what her grandmother was throwing at her, "He proposed four times?"

"Five actually, but really, who was counting?"

"So you finally said yes on the fifth time?" Sam wasn't one to stare in flat out amazement, but really with the tale her grandmother was weaving for her, she couldn't help it.

"Oh no, of course I didn't say yes, I turned him down flat out," a smirk hovered over the old woman's lips and in her eyes, "I was quite in love with your Grandfather at the time dear."

"What!?"

"Of course dear, did you think I'd just let him think he could court me when I was in love with someone else?"

"But…but the story…and Grandpa…the ring!"

"Well, William was certainly a caring man, but he wasn't Izzy," she sighed here, and then finally seemed to take pity on her grandchild who was currently having a rather difficult time sorting out her confusion, "Samantha, the story I used to tell you was about a proposal to me. You never asked how Grandpa and I were married, just how I was proposed to."

"But Grandpa-"

"Never proposed to me. He was too poor to afford a ring and too shy to ever dare approach me in that manner without one."

"Well there goes sixteen years worth of childhood memories in a flash of smoke and half-truths," Sam teased, not at all bitter, but rather surprised, "So…how did you and Grandpa get married then?"

"Oh, I drugged him one night, hog tied him, and took him to my cousin who happened to be a Rabbi," Ida smiled fondly at the memory while Sam sat perfectly still with her eyebrow raised in stark disbelief, "Going to call my bluff on this one?"

"Definitely."

"Alright then Bubeleh," the old woman chuckled good-naturedly and reached for her glass of tea, "The truth is he went off to seek his fortune and ended up making that darned machine. I was already well off, which kept us apart in the first place, but then came the toothpick obsession and well...a ring half the size of Wisconsin was on my finger quicker than I could say 'No' like I had to William. Izzy didn't really give me a choice, and I really didn't mind."

"So he didn't propose, just stuck a ring on your finger?"

"Something like that," Ida fell away into memories for a moment and brought a finger up to the hidden smile in the corner of her mouth, "And you know the rest. We had your father and then you came along were the light of our lives for so long. Izzy treasured you Sam."

"I know," she smiled softly, "I miss him."

"Me too," her grandmother ran a loving hand through her hair, then began to smile, "So when are you ever going to introduce me to your young man?"

"Oh…well," Sam began to nervously toy with the hem of her shirt. She couldn't very well lie to her grandmother and tell her she didn't really have one, but then again she couldn't admit to it and risk her parents finding out accidentally. This would call for some special measures of precaution that Sam hadn't taken in years, "Cross your heart and pinky swear you won't tell Mom and Dad."

Ida chuckled again and held out her pinky, hooking the finger with her grandchild, "I swear on all the neatest stuff in the world."

That little line had been Sam's way of ensuring a secret when she was about five or six, and it had stuck between the two over the years. It was silly and slightly childish, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the trust and bond that was between the two.

"His name is Danny Fenton, and he's been over a few times…I just haven't introduced you to him yet because…well…"

She trailed off and left Ida fighting a knowing smile, "Because your parents probably already had a fit over that. I swear my little Jeremy always has been overprotective. They'll get over that soon enough Sam, and I know that whomever you pick, he'll be wonderful. Or at least he better be or I'll be telling him off and running him over with my scooter, so help me!"

"Grandma!" Sam laughed, their pinkies still locked together. This, this moment of time, was one of the only reasons she hadn't gone crazy for the two weeks she'd been under house arrest. Her grandmother, the time she was allowed to garden, and Danny.

It had all started to become a very comfortable routine in which she didn't really have to think about anything other than what she should do and how she should entertain herself in the limited space she had. This place that she arrived at was good to her in some way; it slowed her down, made her relax in a place where she didn't usually do anything but reside and it suddenly became much more of a 'home' than it had ever been.

The stories that her grandmother had been telling her today reminded her of her days as a child, not the awkward teenager she had become, when she would sit for hours as she listened to the woman before her weave amazing tales and stories, some true and some wishful thinking. How long had it been since she'd spent time with her grandmother, or even her family in general, like she had over the past two weeks?

Surely too long had past, as the longer she was around her parents, the less they seemed to push her towards their ideals. At what point in her life had they really been so demanding that she just couldn't stand being in their presence anymore? Sam honestly couldn't remember, and so this time had been an odd transition for her.

It was one of those blade thin balancing points in her life where something was waiting for a change, for a chance to bloom, and Sam could almost taste the anticipation of it, though she had no clue what 'it' was. Her thoughts continued along this line as her grandmother wished her goodnight, as she cleaned up the table they had been chatting over, as she wished her parents a good night and congenially meant it in an honest way that she hadn't in a very long while, and as she slowly ascended the stairs to her room.

There was an epiphany waiting to be had, but, as the temperature dropped, she put it off and decided that maybe summers were better suited for memories and some other time of the year should be reserved for enlightenment.

Because, as she reached out for Danny's cold, gloved hand…

"_Hi Sam. I missed you."_

…she realized that whatever thought was trying to reach her,

"_I missed you too."_

…scared her slightly,

"_Are you ready for tomorrow?"_

…and she had no idea why.

"_I…"_

All she knew was that change was waiting around the corner, and she could taste its anticipation…

"_Ready for a whole new adventure?"_

…whatever 'it' was.

"_I am."_


End file.
